Nonreversible furnace



Dec. 17, 1929. f1.; MAM'BOURG l l 1,139,913 v NoNREvERsIgLE FURNAQE 1 Filed oef. 10.1925' 2 sheets-sheet 2f 1 NVE N T m I; L @cpo/d Mamba/Kg.

AT T EI'QNEY.

Patented. Dec. 17; 1929 i UNITED STATES LEOPOLD 'PATENT OFFICE MAMBOURG. OF LANCASTER, OHIO, AsSiGivoR To LIBBnY-OWNS GLASS COMPANY, or TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION or'A OHIO NONREVERSIBLE rURNAcE Appiication' mea october 1o, 19'25. serial Nt. 61,669.

The present invention relates to glass apparatus, and has particular reference to a glass melting tank. O An important objectof the invention is to provide 'a furnace having a plurality of p'orts arranged 'on each 'side of the furnace, each ,-fp'ort'b'eing adapted' to be in operationat all times..

.Another obje-ct of the invention isto pro-- mvide a furnace of this nature wherein each port is associated with'a plurality ,of sup- `plyiiig' means in la manner that the 'aiijsupply can-be furnished alternately sothat preheated air' can be used similar to themanner in which preheated air is used in the.regular.l

' have been designed to facilitate use ofthe parregenerative type .of furnace. l

Stillanotlier Object of 'the invention .is to provide a furnace vof this nature includingr a plurality of-ports arranged along opposite sides of the'furnace, said ports having a double checke'rworkv and air supplyconduits associated therewith sotihateach port canbe alternately furnished withfair'from al diEerent conduit ever so often to permit the eX- haust gases issuing from the furnace to alter nately heat one checkerwork or .the other, depending upon which clieckerwork is in operative associationwith the port.

A'further obj-ect of the invention is to provide a furnace adapted tofmore uniformly and economically condition la mass of molten glass from which a sheet may eventually be drawn, or from which any type of glass article canbe produced.

Another very important object of the invention is to providea glass furnace capable of maintaining the glass at a uniform ternperature throughout the width ofthe furnace 'i by reason of a continuous 1ir'e: 'running clear 40' across the tank at all times and throughout the length of the saine. i

Still another object of the invention is to provide a furnace having aplurality of ports which are arranged in a manner that absolute and accurate control at each port can be had of the amount of fuel introduced at that port in order to create a certain temperatureat anrykone point throughout'the length of the ta i Other objects and advantages of the in torily overcome by the use of a heat insulation material.. v'

vention will become" apparent during the course of the following description.-

In the drawingswherein like numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout thesame,L 7 V.

*Fig. 1 is a top plan view in Section, illustrating the invention,

. Fig.' isl a section` taken on line 2 2 in".

Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows,l

Eig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional 60 view through a' portion of .the furnace, and

- Fig. 4 is aside elevation thereof. f l This furnace is particularly adapted to' overcome the great loss ofheat from `the fuel used in' glass furnaces. Furnaces heretofore 65 ticular types ofheating meansused, and it is well known that radiation'from the crown and'side walls of these furnaces causes a waste. in the heat which cannot'be entirely satisfac- In the old types of heating means .the character of the flame. and'distribution ofthe flaineover the glass in the tank would not permit of the greatest. efficiency, either-from the angle of fuel consumption or they quality of glass produced. The manufacture of glass y in the form of sheets-is almost a question of temperature control from the time the batch 8d `is introduced within the furnace until the glass has been drawn away in sheet form and annealed. Temperature changes in the glass appear to be detrimental to the production of good glass, and this furnace .is designed to eliminate as far as possible undesirable rapid temperature changes in the molten glass be- `'ing conditioned.

The higli crown used in the usual furnaces is almost necessary if the large volumes of fuel are to be introduced aS in the reversible or regenerative type of furnace. v In this type of furnace the fuel is introduced from one side and then the other side. At no'tiines are both sides of the furnace being worked at once. In view of the high crown and large volume of fuel the radiation from the crown on the glass is irregular as the fuel volume is too thick for radiated heat to` penetrate in an etlicient manner.

In the old type of regenerative furnace ports are arranged along both sides of the melting end of the tank. Means are provided s for supplying gas andair, the gas usually being supplied through a pipe While the air is drawn through a checkervvork `Which has been previously kheated by the .exhaust gases issuing from the opposite side of the furnace. At intervals, usually about minutes, the tank is reversed, that is the flame is stopped on one' side and is started on the opposite side v'so that the glass is being heated from llame supplied alternately from one side'and then theother. In View` of the large amount f 15 fuel introduced a like large amount of air must be used so that combustion does `not actually-take place until the gases are pretty nearly half acrossthe tank. IVhen theheat is applied from one side of the furnaoe, conditions are createdfwhich are lrapidly changed When-the opposite side is placed into operation. The lapse4 between the change over is i'n the neighborhood of about a min-.

ute. In this lapse of time \considerable changes take place, which changes'occur regularly at 20 minute intervals. v In this Way conditions Whichhave been set up and Working nicely .are rapidlyl changed over and the glass and heatmust again adapt themselves ,o to another condition Which is then `rapidly changed to the first condition and so on.

In the present invention the tank is preferably designed to have a lower crown so that radiation from vthe cro'wn Will be more beneficial to the glass and vyill'cause a decided saving in fuel consumption. Instead of the large ports spaced rather fair apart, I propose to use a number of relatively smaller ports' arranged-closer together` and extending pref? erably the entire length of [the furnace. In `this Way a 'better distribution of the fuel with Aconsequent uniform heating of the glass is obtained. The flames issue .from both sides of the furnace simultaneously and continu# ously. Of course in this arrangement the ports nearer the intake end Will ordinarilybe iired .to a' higher temperature than the ports nearer the refining end.

In the drawings the numeral 5 designates the exit end 6. The tank 5 is shown in 2 as containing a mass of molten glass 7.'

The batch which comprises the ingredients from-Which the glass is produced may be ina tank furnace which may be provided With both sides ofthe ta'nk 5 and preferably extend along the, entire side. y The number of ports illustrated is not to be taken as a limi# tation to the number lof ports which can-be eflicientlyused. Each port is provided With a gas supplying channel 10,/the'gas entering as indicated'bythe arrows. Airconduits 11 run pastv each of the` ports as clearly shown in Figvl.- .Each air 'conduitll `branches off intoV a two-Waypassage forming the passages 12 and A valve 14 is located at the end 75 of the singlepassage 1l to permit the passage 11 to be i'nloperative communication with.

@either passage'12'or`passage 13. Each of the passages 12-fand 13 hasassociated' therewith 80,

a checkerwork 1.5.

'1 The stack I6, shown in Fig. 4, is incom outer checkerworks Where the air is preiheated, then'passing through the conduits 12 ,through passage 11, and' into the ports9 Where the gas'and` heated'air combine to produce a flame. The products of combustion,

are removedthrough the ports 25, communi-y 100 `eating'Withthevarious conduits which conv`ey the gases through the other c heckerworks of each setof ports,vaftervwhich they may be disposed of. 'Phe arrows with the'broken lines indicate the path ofthe exhaust gases '105 when the valves are arranged as shown in i heavy lines. -Atintervalsthe valves 14` and 20 can be reversed so that the lfresh air can be passed Vthrough the-checkerwork previously heated by the exhaust gases. Although the 1,10 `air supply can begreversed, therezwill, be no apparent interruption to fthe flames rissuing from the ports'gj The gas supply remains constant Whilethe air as far as the passage 11 'remains constant. The ports 9von both sides 115 of the tank are preferable at all times in operation sothat-the glass is heated from both sides'of the furnace andnot from one side. Dampers 26 may be used to control the amount of air used, so that each port can. be independently controlled to give the best result's, the adjustment of the port depending upon its location. The numeral 27 indicates the pipe through which lthe gas coming in through thechannels 10 is discharged.

'IlVith this type of furnace the various ports can be vI egulated to give.the best results.'`

Once a satisfactory adjustment, there is no need for readjustment untill conditions change. This is a decided advantage over the usual ltype of regenerative furnace.

l It is to be understood that the form ofv described, comprising a plurality ofl ports, means for supplying? gas to the ports, a plurality of reversible means for supplying air to each port, and means for controlling said air supplies.

3. A furnace of the vcharacter described, comprising a plurality of ports, \means for supplying gas to the ports, a plurality of means for supplyingv air to each port, and

means foralternately supplying air to theA ports from said supplying means.

4. A regenerative furnace of the character described, comprising a-plurality of ports, means for supplying gas to the ports, aplurality of reversible means for supplying air to each port, and means for preheating tlie air before it mixes with the gas.

5. A regenerative furnace of the character described, comprising a plurality of ports, means for supplying gas to the ports, a plurality ofeversible air supplying means associatedw l1 each port, and independent preheating means associated With each of the air supplying means for said ports.

6. A furnace of the character described,

comprising a plurality of ports, means for supplying .gas to the ports, and means for .substantially continuously supplying air to each port from one of a plurality of supplies.

7. A furnace'of the character described, comprising aplurality of ports, means for supplying gas to the ports, and means for substantially continuously supplying pre-V heated air to each port from one of a plurality of supplies. v

8. A furnace of the character described, comprising a plurality of ports, means for supplying gas to the ports, and means for' substantially continuously and valternately supplying preheated air to each 'port from a plurality of air supplies.

9. A furnace of the character described,

comprising a plurality of ports arranged along both sides of the furnace, means for supplying gas to each port, anair conduit y associated with the ports, a plurality of passages connecting vvith said air conduit, and means for controlllng Whlch of the passages Y is to be in operative communication with the conduit.

10. furnace of the character described, comprising a plurality of ports arranged along both sides of the furnace, means for supplying gas to the ports, an air conduit associated with the ports, a pair of passages connecting with the air conduit, and a checkerwork construction associated with each passage.

l1. A furnace of t-he character described, comprising -a plurality of portsarranged along both sides of the furnace, means for continuously supplying gas to the ports', A

means for substantially continuously. supplyingvair to all of the ports simultaneously, means for'preheating the air, and means for alternating the source of air supply without affecting the supply to said ports.

l2. A furnace of the character described comprising a plurality of ports, means for supplying gas tothe ports, and means forv alternately supplying pre-heated air to each port from a plurality of air supplies.

13.- A furnace of the character described comprising a plurality of ports, means for supplying gas to the ports, and means forsupplying pre-heated air to each port from alternate sources of supply. 14. A furnace of the-character described, comprising a plurality of ports arranged 'alonfr both sides of the furnace, means for supplyinggas to the ports, an ,airconduit asv sociated with the ports at each side of said furnace, a pair of air supplying passages connecting with the conduit, a checkerwork construction associated'with each passage, reversible means for controlling Which of the passages is to bein operative communication with the conduit for supplying air thereto, and means for receiving the exhaust gases from the furnace and causing them to pass through that passage not in operative communication with the conduit to effect a heating of the checkerwork associated therewith.

Signed at Lancaster, in the county of Fairfield, and State of Ohio, this 6th dayof October, 1925. y

LEOPOLD MAMBOURG. 

